Albert Einstein once said "  Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." In a few weeks our students will take the New York State Assessments in English Language Arts and  Mathematics. This assessments will be used to grade students on a 1 through 4 scale to identify students who need Academic Intervention Services and to grade teachers, administrators and schools as part of the annual appraisal process.
  In 1999 New York State began testing students in elementary and middle schools to see if our students and teachers were meeting the standards set by the State Education Department. I was a principal at that point and noticed that the first year or two the scores were low with many children and schools not meeting the standards. After a few years the scores got higher and the State Education Department and politicians took credit for the rise in scores stating that they pushed for this to hold teachers accountable. I am not sure if this is truly the case or if the tests became a bit easier and the scoring scale changed.
  I am interested to see what happens this year and in the coming years as the tests are supposedly much harder than they have been in previous years.  I wonder if we will see the same thing as we did in the first few years as scores were low than gradually rose to show that due to the work of our State Education Department and politicians that it is due to their efforts in holding teachers and administrators accountable. Time will tell!
 

What makes a quality school?

 In the era of high stakes assessments schools are being judged on student performance and growth on assessments given by districts and states.   At Hamagrael Elementary I use these assessments as only a small portion of how I evaluate how we are doing as a school. A few years ago I found an article by Melissa Kelly on the top 10 characterisitcs of a quality school. When I sit down at the mid point and end of the year to assess my school I look at the following 10 characteristics:

1) The attitude of the office staff- The actions of the office staff set the tone for the building. If the office isn't a warm, welcoming, friendly place to be this means that the school values costumer service.

2) Attidude of the Principal- A principal needs to be student centered , open ,encouraging and innovative in helping staff try new methods of instruction. A principal needs to be visable in the school and community as well.

3) Mix of new & veteran teachers- Through this mix they can both learn and grow through their understanding of building history, protocal and innovation.

4) Student-centered- You can see this when you enter the building. When a decision is made in the building it should be driven by the following: " What's best for students ? "

5) Mentoring program- Does the district and school value the importance of training new teachers to the school and district and provide them with the support they need to be successful.

6)  Politics kept to a minimum- - There needs to be a collaborative environment which focuses on the academic and social growth of each child in the building.

7) Faculty is empowered and involved - The faculty should be empowered to make decisions and supported by the administration.  The principal and staff are involved in the school community and attend events and programs outside the work day.

8) Teamwork amongst faculty- There should be sharing amongst teachers in their grade level and in the school. In the era of the new teacher evaluation system which can tear this apart the principla needs to be involved and work with teachers to make sure collaboration and teamwork is a priority.

9) Communication is honest and frequent- The school princiapl should provide parents and staff with weekly updates about current school and district news and events.

10) Parental involvement- It is the school's job to welcome parents and trwat them as partners in their child's education.

  At the end of each month I take time to reflect on the above 10 items and make a plan on how we can improve and continue to make our school a place where children, staff and parents enjoy being at.

The Next Generation of Educators

 I believe that my oldest son who is now a freshman in college would make a wonderful high school math or science teacher and coach. I have seen him work with younger children as a soccer coach and counselor . He is bright, compassionate , very understanding and understands the importance of being a part of a team. I wish I could encourage him to enter this wonderful field, however,  as a father looking out for his future  I am not sure if I can . He is one of I believe thousands of young people who one day would be able to be a positive influence on students and help them achieve their goals that we are losing due to politics and the lack of funding for schools.  I used to get a large amount of requests from colleges and universities hoping to place student-teachers in our building. In the past two to three years I have had only a handful of requests which to me is very discouraging. The lack of available positions due to the number of cutbacks and layoffs along with the NYS decision to implement a new retirement system has deterred future teachers from entering the field.
  Along with the budget cuts teachers are not as open to having student-teachers due to the number of assessments that we are giving to students during the course which are  used to evaluate the performance of the classroom teachers.  I am fortunate here at Hamagrael to have teachers who are willing to take on student teachers and help the next generation in their work. One teachers put it beautifully as she said that by taking on a student teacher you are paying back to the people who helped you along the way and took a chance to help you reach your goal of becoming a classroom teacher.
  I am bringing my son back to college this weekend after his winter break- I look forward to the trip and our discussions. Maybe I can bring the possibility up again about him being a teacher!

New York State Assessments

 In a few months our students in grades 3-5 will be taking the New York State Assessments in English Language Arts and Mathematics.  We have been informed that the tests this year will be more difficult than those administered in the past and that fewer students will reach the proficiency level .
  The exams will be given over a two week period in April with the students taking four exams in three days in both subject areas. The tests will take at a minimum 50 minutes each day with some being 70 minutes.  Along with the time spent in class on the tests or teachers will be for a minimum of two days to score the exams. I am concerned about the time spent on the exams along with the pressure placed on the teachers and the students during the exams.
   Over the past year educators have started to take a stand against the high stakes exams and the effect they have on children and teachers. Carol Burris a principal in New York State has been one of the vocal leaders on this subject and an advocate for looking at better ways to evaluate principals , teachers and students than these assessments. I have included a couple of links on the topic of testing and some of the leaders in education who are voicing concerns on the direction we are heading in.

Link 1 

Link 2

Happy Holidays!

 Wishing you and your family a Happy Holiday Season and all the best in 2013!!

  New York State is one of five states that are adding 300 hours of learning time to the calendar for some schools next year. The other states participating are Colorado, Connecticut , Massachusetts and Tennessee. The three year pilot program is intended to boost student achievement. The decision to add more time to the current school day or extend the school year will be made at the local levels of the schools participating.
  As I read through the information about this initiative I thought about a book that I read to children each year here at Hamagrael Elementary titled  " A Fine, Fine School "  by Sharon Creech. The elementary school principal in the book, Mr. Keene, loved his school and thought that since he loved school so much and had a wonderful staff and group of students that they should have school every day all year long, summers included. The students and staff didn't want to let down Mr. Keene so they went along with his plan until one day a girl named Tille went to see Mr. Keene and explained that learning just doesn't take place in school. You can learn while on a family walk, playing with siblings, playing games with neighborhood kids, or just reading under a tree. In the end, Mr. Keene realized that we all learn in many different ways and saw the importance of having breaks from  the regular school day and school was returned to normal once again and the children continued to learn.
  As a principal and father of three I see how hard the children work here and also the amount of time my own spend on assignments  outside of school. I think that maybe we are pushing kids too hard now . They should take time to be kids  and enjoy this time of their life as it truly goes by way too quickly.  It is my hope that the individuals who are placing this mandate on our schools take the time to read Sharon Creech's book, they may find it interesting.